Initially the attraction is euphoria taking a mini vacation. Someone once told me getting high is like God putting a warm blanket around you and rubbing your temples telling you everything will be alright. This is a powerful draw. The mini vacation to escape life’s hardships becomes more frequent and all encompassing. Physically the body comes addicted. Psychologically the individual needs the drug to maintain emotional stability and to cope with life’s stress.  Individuals with addicted family members are at an unfair disadvantage. Once they get a taste of euphoria from a drug, their bodies crave more drugs. Something is different with this group, they are genetically built to use excessively. Their bodies experience powerful cravings to use addicting drugs and keep using them. Their favorite word is more. Genetic predisposition is one unlucky factor. Another unlucky factor in making someone drug dependent, is being raised and living around drug dependent people. So, there are two forces at work, one is a genetic predisposition to use, another is a learned behavior.

That’s just the start. Once the psyche experiences the high, the escape, and a free ride from life’s problems; new forces take over.  The individual goes undercover and must now conceal their activities. They have to make some time to get drugs and to do the drugs. They have to start explaining to others lost blocks of time, money, energy, and different thoughts and behaviors surface. By thoughts I mean all the using and getting drugs takes a lot of planning, manipulating and lying. They need to form a group of people who each contribute something to getting drugs, a place to use them and help with the cover story to disguise what’s really going on. (more…)

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By Dr Mark Agresti

Treating opiate addiction (Oxycodone, Roxycodone dependency) since 1988 has taught me a few things.  Opiate dependency is all consuming.  Individuals become consumed with getting money for opiates, obtaining opiates and having time to use opiates.  All this mental energy is pulled from other activities.  Resources are taken from loved ones, leisure activities and business.  Individuals using opiates spend discretionary income on opiates (i.e. oxycontin), instead of going out to dinners, dating and playing.  Once on opiates the range of activities that individual engages in decrease.  Hobbies and sports fall to the side.  These individuals lack time and money to do fun things, but also lack desire to have fun.  There is no desire to have sex and desire to socialize decrease.  These individuals can maintain jobs and relations with a few close others.

They usually become depressed, crave sugar, and gain weight.  Their complexion changes to a grayscale cancer looking color.  They develop strange eating habits and sleeping habits.  Their sense of self worth and self-esteem decline.  They have feeling of emptiness and detachment from others.  One patient said she looked in the mirror and she saw a skeleton.  She no longer existed.  The opiate becomes everything.

The opiate becomes an individual’s lover and family.  The fear of going into withdrawal is so powerful.  When the possibility that the individual may be cut off from drugs, the beast comes out. (more…)

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How do you know when alcohol is negatively affecting someone you love? What should you do when you suspect that someone you know is suffering from an alcohol addiction? This article will help you discover signs and symptoms so that you can be prepared to take the proper action against alcohol abuse and addiction.

First, let’s consider the facts. Someone you know or love drinks heavy amounts of alcohol on a regular basis. They seem fine, and their alcohol consumption doesn’t seem to disrupt their daily life. So how do you know if they are abusing alcohol or if an alcohol addiction is forming? Take a little extra time to notice how alcohol currently integrates with your friend’s or family member’s life. Do they drink alcohol every day, or several times a day? Is alcohol a “necessity” for them at every function or celebration? Does alcohol change their behavior significantly? And finally, do they turn to alcohol to deal with difficult situations such as job loss or grief? If you can answer yes to any one of these questions, your friend or family member may be beginning to abuse alcohol or on the verge of an alcohol addiction. If you can answer yes to more than one of these questions, then it may be time to step in and take some action to ensure the safely and health of your loved one. (more…)

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